toncol

Too much instruction overcomplicates the swing, and can send you down a death spiral. Jim MacLean comes to mind in that regard. I like some of the stuff out there ( Clay Ballard for example ) when I want to see a technique for a specific shot. Even then, I'll blend what I see into my own swing, rather than try to incorporate something new in it's entirety.. As I see it, if I can still maintain a 4 point something index @ 61 yo I can't be too far off anyway. I stay miles away from any of the "Quick Fix" stuff....they're just BS

I've tried a bunch of different iron shafts over the years, Rifle, Proj. X, KBS, Nippon and I keep coming back to the DG S300. For my swing and game I like the slightly heavier weight and how it loads with my Mizuno heads, and I just feel like I know what it's going to do. Tried a couple of Graphite shafts also but couldn't get used to the feel.

I keep it in play unless I can "feel" a scuff or scrape with my fingers. Couldn't care less about cosmetic stuff like tree marks or scraped paint, but if it feels like it's got a burr or any raised damage to the outer skin of the ball it's out. That kind of thing WILL effect it's performance in the air because it will disrupt the aerodynamics designed into the ball. At a minimum it will lose distance, and it's likely to be less stable, and therefore less "straight". How much depends on the type and severity of the damage.

If the club, be it a driver, fairway etc fits your swing and your game, there's no reason not to go the used/mint route. Many times "new" doesn't necessarily mean better. Will your off-the-tee game get 25% better with a brand new club, than it would with last years model? The gains in driver performance in particular are incremental at best - and the increments are small. Rory McIlroy might notice them, not so sure I can tell the difference. Once in a while, there truly is a leap forward. The Stealth 2 for example is I think vastly superior to the Gen. 1 version, but that's not the norm. For fairways and hybrids the same applies, the year over year differences are typically minimal. I never buy irons used (my specs are not off the shelf) but I tend to keep them for several years anyway, so I don't mind taking the depreciation "hit", and in any case there's always someone looking for well-treated used Mizunos when it's time for me to get new ones. Wedges you should get new IMO, unless you can find discounted "demo" ones

Nothing cleaner than my Mizuno Pro 221s. Prettiest things that ever sent a ProV to a watery grave

50*/09 TM MG3, 54*/11 MG4, 58*/LBV07 MG4, all with TT DG S200 Tour Issue shafts......for me, superior performance to my Vokeys. Solid feel, no tendency to "jump", plenty of spin but controllable (no chewing the cover off the ball) and I really like how the Satin finish on the rest of the head and the rust in the scoring lines area of the club face really help frame the ball

I tried one, couldn't really "control" it. Found myself watching the damn clubhead and noticing how much it seemed to oscillate in my stroke vs my 35" blade putter. Logical I suppose, in that a small error at the hands is going to be magnified at the head due to the longer shaft. Also, like others I had no feel with it from about 15ft out. At the end of the day, went back to my old Scotty Newport. One thing I did like though, that broomstick was really nice for measuring two club lengths on a drop

For me, it's a question of what you intend to use the 52 for most of the time. In my set, I have Mizuno Pro221s thru the PW, but I almost always hit full shots with the PW. For my other wedges, I go with TaylorMade MG series wedges(50,54,58). I use the 50 for bump and run shots, mid-range pitches, knock-downs, longer chips etc and only occasionally for full shots, so I want it to feel/behave more like my other wedges than like my irons. One thing I'm a stickler about is that all my iron clubs from 4I to LW have the same grip so no club feels "off" when I grab it.

It's a game designed for walking and I find that I play better when I walk. I tend to be a walk/carry guy most of the time. I'm more focused on what I'm doing and more in tune with the course. In my opinion, as you walk to your approach shot say, you get a feel for the wind, the ground, the temps etc...all the things that will influence the next shot. Also, if your previous shot wasn't great, you haven't rushed up in a cart, still PO'd, and followed a bad one with another. That said, I'm not banging the drum for either point of view. If walking is your thing, more power to ya. If you prefer to ride, go for it, it's your call. Couldn't care less what anyone else chooses to do. Here in the NE it can easily be 90s with high 80s humidity on a summer day and walking 18 can be tough duty, so sometimes I'll walk the front and ride the back. It's all about enjoying the round and playing in a reasonable amount of time. I play from tees at about 6800 yds at my course, and unless someone holds me up, I can easily play in under 4 hrs, walking or riding.

Play with them for a couple months first and see where you are then. The above is the best piece of advice you've gotten here. There are WAAYYY too many variables to take any action before you actually play your new wedges. You should get a minimum of a dozen rounds in - along with some practice time - ideally in a variety of conditions, so you can get to know how they behave in the real world. Gapping is real, but Gapping numbers (degrees) are only a guide. It doesn't matter what it says on the sole of the club, as long as you can consistently hit it the distance and trajectory you want, both for the individual club and relative to the ones either side of it in your set. Enjoy the new sticks.

All the suggestions for cleaning grips will work. Most important thing is to actually do it As to the hats, there's a product out there called Hatsaver. You spray it on the OUTSIDE of the hat when it's new where you would normally get sweat stains.....Voila ! No stains ever appear. It's amazing stuff

There's a Philadelphia area based brand called Boston Scott. REALLY nice fabrics, easily the equal of PM, IMO. The cut on their shirts is sort of "in-between". Not the slightly oversized feel of PM or Donald Ross, but not the tight feel of a lot of Adidas, UA and Nike.